Phonograph



Aug. 15, 1933. J. ME N 1,922,231

PHONOGRAPH Filed Feb. 24, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Cffll/GW" James J Chi/warm ,MQ/fl/M By W W Aug. 15, 1933- J. A. CAMERON PHONOGRAPH Filed Feb. 24, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 will A s- 1933- J. A. CAMERON PHONOGRAPH Filed Feb. 24,

1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 MHz/ 67122 7 @77765 J% Camera/z llllllllll IlllIll mum]? Patented Aug. 15, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 14 Claim.

first part of the next adjacent record and so on until the entire stack of records has been played and all removed except the bottom one.

Another object of my invention is to provide a phonograph of the type above indicated wherein provision is made for playing commercial disc records of varying diameter, varying thickness and with varying characteristics in. the terminal sound grooves of the disc.

A more specific object oi the invention is to provide a phonograph having a rotatable table, which is adapted to be oscillated after a record has been played in order to automatically discharge the record. the table then being returned to normal operative position and the parts corelated so as to play the next record.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a phonograph of the type above indicated, wherein the table is given its usual rotation and the tilting from and back to normal operative position is positively eflected all from a single motor.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawings forming a part 01 this speciflcation, Figure 1 is a broken top plan view 01 a phonograph having my improvements incorporated therein. Figure 2 is a vertical, sectional view, upon an enlarged scale, corresponding to the section line 2-2 of Figure 1, the full lines showing the normal playing condition of the parts and the dotted lines the position assumed by the parts while a record is being discharged aiter having been played. Figure 3 is a vertical, sectional view, upon an enlarged scale, corresponding to the section line 3-3 of Figure 1, but with the reproducer and its arm and the support therefor being shown in iull elevation. Figure 4 is a top plan view of the operating parts, the table, reproducer and cabinet parts being omitted. Figure 5 is an end, elevational view of the motor and associated parts for imparting a tilting action to the table. Figure 6 is an enlarged, detailed, vertical, sectional view corresponding to the section line 6-6 01 Figure 4. Figure 'l is an enlarged, horizontal, sectional view corresponding to the section line 7-7 0! Figure 3. Figure 8 is an enlarged, detailed, vertical, sectional view corresponding to the line 8-8 of Figure '7. Figure 9 is asection on line 9-9 oi Figure 7. And Figure 10 is a diagrammatic, schematic viewil- 5 lustrating the electrical circuits employed in the improvements.

In said drawings, I have illustrated my im-* provements as incorporated in a cabinet type 01' combined radio and phonograph, but I deem it necessary to illustrate only those parts of the cabinet which are immediately adjacent the phonograph proper. The cabinet is provided with a horizontal wall 10, which forms the main support for the motor operating mechanism and tilting table. Secured to said wall 10 are two upstanding supports 11-11, having inturned top flanges 12-12 carrying hinge brackets 13-13 to which are pivotally connected corresponding hinge brackets 14-14, secured to a tilting plat- 30 form 15. To the underside of the platform 15 is secured a framework 16, which carries an electric motor 17 for operating the phonograph. Said electric motor 1'1 has its speed governed in any suitable way, as customary in phonograph motors, one such type 01 governor being indicated at 18 adiustably controlled through a disc 19, pivoted bell crank 20 and manually adjustable screw 21.

Through suitable gearing from the motor shaft and housed in the casing 22, the vertical shait 23 is rotated in the usual manner. Said shaft 23 normally extends vertically and passes up through a movable section 24 of an upper cabinet wall, which is rigidly secured to the platiorm 15 so as to move in unison therewith, said section 24 forming a continuation of the remainder of the cabinet wall 25. Said shaft 23 has a reduced upper section 26 forming a shoulder and on which section is frictionally held the hub 27 of the record rotating table 28, the latter bein thus rotated from the motor 17 in the usual manner. Secured to the cabinet top 25, to one side of the table, is a hollow post 29, which provides a support for a shaft 30 to the upper end of which, as shown best in Figures 2 and 3 is pivotally connected a reproducer arm 31 having a telescoped extension 32, at the outer end 01 which is carried the reproducer proper 33, the latter having a needle 34 adapted to engage the usual sound grooves of the record discs 35-35 of which six are shown stacked on the table 28. As will be understood, the reproducer and its supporting arm are adapted to move over the record table 28 in the usual manner in following the sound grooves of the record toward the center thereof.

The shaft 23 is made hollow and has vertically or axially freely movable therein, a record centering pin 36. Said pin 36, at its bottom end, is connected by means of a suitable pin or otherwise fastened through vertical, diametrical slots 37-87 in the shaft 23 with a grooved collar 38. it being obvious that the latter will rotate in unison with the shaft 23. The length of the pin 36 is such that when in its uppermost position, it will retain and center the number of discs for which the machine is designed, in the present instance shown as six. Said pin 36 is lowered step by step as the records are played and discharged in the manner hereinafter described.

To effect tilting of the platform 15 and rotating table 28, the following arrangement is preferably employed. Carried by the lefthand end of the motor 17, as viewed in Figure 2, is a solenoid 39 having an axially movable armature or pin 40 normally projecting outwardly, as best shown in Figure 5. Said solenoid pin 40 is normally engaged by the curved upper end 41 of a pawl having a tooth 42 at its other end, which tooth is normally maintained out of engagement with a circular tooth disc 43. Said pawl is pivotally mounted, as indicated at 44, on a disc 45 and is normally spring influenced by a spring, 46 in a manner tending to throw the tooth 42 into engagement with the tooth disc 43; Said tooth disc 43 is fixed to a shaft iournaled in a bearing 47 to the opposite end of which shaft is secured a worm gear 48 driven by a worm 49, the latter being on the end of the motor shaft,

as shown in the drawings. The disc 45 is loosely rotatable on the shaft which carries the disc 43 and worm gear 48, said disc 45 having pivotally connected thereto at 50, a link 51, the opposite end of which is pivotally connected, as indicated at 52, to fixed brackets 53 secured to the cabinet wall 10.

The solenoid 32 is in an electric circuit controlled by two selective switches governed by the position and/or action of the reproducer arm 31-32, the details of which are hereinafter described. Upon closing of either of said switches, the solenoid 39 is energized, thereby temporarily retracting the pin 40 and permitting the tooth 42 of the pawl to engage the tooth disc 43. Inasmuch as the latter is under constant rotation from the motor 17, it is evident that the disc 45 will thereby be connected with the disc 43 and the disc 45 slowly rotated. As said disc 45 is slowly rotated, the platform 15 carrying the motor, turntable and associated parts will be tilted until finally the maximum tilted position is reached, shown by dotted lines in Figure 2. As the rotation of the now locked discs 43 and 45 continues, the parts will be brought back to normal position, shown by the full lines in Figure 2, and in so doing, the pawl 41-42 finally disengaged from the tooth disc 43 where the parts assume the position shown in full lines in Figure 1, a complete cycle of tilting thus having been imparted to the rotatable table 28 a'nd further tilting prevented until the solenoid 39 is again actuated.

Referring more particularly to Figures 1 and 7, the solenoid 39 circuit is controlled by automatically selective switches as follows: fixed with respect to the reproducer arm shaft 30, within the post 29, is an adjustable contact screw 54 which, as the reproducer arm moves so as to extend approximately radially of the record discs, will make contact with a fixed contact 55, thus closing the circuit for the solenoid, through the contact stud 156 carried by the arm 57, which will then be in sliding electrical contact with an arcuate plate 155 carried by the insulated subplatform 154. As the reproducer arm is swung back to its initial starting position, as hereinafter described, it is obvious that the circuit will be broken by separation of the contacts 54 and 55. The particular switch or contact just described is the one automaticaliy operative when the reproducer is used with that commercial type of disc record having a terminal groove that moves the needle closely adjacent the center of the record after the needle has passed off of the sound reproducing portions of the record groove.

To adapt my phonograph to another well known type of disc records, wherein the sound groove terminates in a closed, wavy groove, as indicated at 56 in Figure 1, the following type of switch or contact is employed. Rigidly carried by the reproducer arm shaft 30 below the table 25 is an arm 57, the outer end 157 of which is disposed in a slot 158 of an insulated contact member 58 mounted at the outer end of an arm 358, pivoted at 259. Said end 157 normally engages one side of the slot, as indicated in Figures 7 and 9, as the reproducer arm is moving toward the center of the record. The other side of the slot in the insulated head 58 carries an adiustable contact screw 260, which is connected by a flexible conductor 261 to the contact 55. when the needle reaches the wavy groove 56, and this is true regardless of the distance of the needle from the center of the record, a vibratory movement will be imparted to the reproducer arm, which in turn will set up vibration or oscillation in the arm 57 so that the end 157 thereof will be oscillated into engagement with the screw contact 260, thus intermittently closing the circuit to the solenoid 39 for a suilicient length of time to permit energizing of the solenoid and withdrawal of the pin 40 so as to throw into action the tilting mechanism hereinbefore described. With the automatically selective solenoid contact controls, it is evident that my improvements are adapted for playing any of the usual well known types of records and this without any attention on the part of the user.

To discharge the records successively as they are played one after the other, the following arrangement is preferably employed. Engageable in the groove of the collar 38 carried by the shaft 23, are the forked ends 6262 of a shipper arm 63, the other end of which is guided by a vertical post 64 carried by the platform 15, as best shown in Figures 2 and 4. With this construction, it is evident that the shipper arm 63 is adapted for free vertical up and down movements but is prevented from oscillation in a horizontal plane. The vertical position of the shipper arm 63 is controlled or governed by a stepped plate 65, the latter having a series of .steps 66, corresponding in number to the maximum number of disc records with which it is intended to load the machine. When the phonograph is fully loaded and set to begin playing the records in succession, said stepped plate 65 occupies the position shown best in Figures 3 and 6, wherein it will be observed the shipper arm 63 is maintained in its uppermost position and this in turn maintains the centering pin 36 in its uppermost position for centering and retaining all of the records. Said stepped plate 65 has an extension arm 67 and is confined to a straight line movement horizontally on the platform 15 by a suitable guide plate 68. To said extension 67 is secured one end of a coil spring 69, the other end of which is secured to a fixed pin 70 fixed with respect to the platform 15 so that the stepped plate 65 is normally urged toward the right, as viewed in Figure 3, but is restrained therefrom so long as the shipper arm 63 has shouldered engagement with any one of the steps 66.'

Secured rigid with the steppedplate 65 is a rack 71 guided by a suitable pin 72 passing through a slot '13 therein, said rack "11 being limited in its movement toward the right, as viewed in Figure 3, and toward the top, as viewed in Figure 2, by a fixed pin 74. For actuating the rack '11 and through the latter, the stepped plate 65, a slide pawl '15 is employed, the same havinga' tooth T6 at its outer end normally spaced frcmthe teeth 77 of the rack 71, as best shown in Figm'e 4. The pawl I5 is horizontally slidable on the platform 15 and is guided by an adjustable plate 1'77. The end of the pawl '15 opposite to the tooth '76 projects beyond the edge of the platform 15, where it is adapted to engage a fixed arcuate cam 78 preferably attached to the supporting bracket 11, as'shown in Figure 3. Said pawl is held in normal retracted position by a suitable tension spring '79. As the platform 15 carrying the record table pawl '75 will have sliding engagement with the arcuate cam 78, thus pushing wardly or downwardly, as viewed in Figure 4.

and in so doing the tooth '76 of said pawl with the nearest be brought into engagement opposite tooth '17 of the rack 71. The cam '18 is so constructed that just suillcient movement will be imparted to the rack '11 and stepped plate 65 movable therewith to permit the shipper arm 63 to drop off of one step 66 onto the next lower step, thus in turn permitting the lowering of the pin 36 an amount corresponding to the height of a step 66. The cam '18 16 80 formed that the lowering of the pin 36 will, take place just shortly before the table reaches its maximum tilted condition, to thereby prevent the topmost record from being thrown of! by centrifugal action in an improper manner, and permitting release or discharge of the record only when in the maximum or substantially maximum tilted condition, whereupon the action or gravity will be suilicient to prevent centrifugal movement of the record and allow the latter, as indicated at 135 in Figure 2, to slide downwardly into a suitable compartment of the cablnet for receiving the same.

The foregoing described action of lowering the pin 36 step by step, takes place with respect to all of the records except the last one, the stepped plate 65 being so designed that the ship per arm 63 cannot be lowered beyond the point where the top of the pin 36 will be below the upper surface of the lowermost record 35. As will be evident from the foregoing, the disc records will be discharged. successively, after each is played and upon the periodic tilting of the table, with the exception of the lowermost record.

the pawl 75' hi .the platform 15.

Commercial records, as is well known, vary in diameter and the larger diameter records are also slightly thicker than the smaller diameter records. In order to adapt my improvements to records varying in thickness so as to insure the centering pin 36 always being at the proper height to permit discharge of a record and to prevent accumulative error in the lowering of the pin, 1 provide an alternative stepped plate 165 pivotally connected to one side of the plate 65, as indicated at 82 in Figure 6. Bald secondary plate 165 is normally held in retracted or inoperative position by suitable coil spring 83, as shown by full lines in said Figure '6. 1n the drawings, the stepped plate 65 is designed for twelve inch records and the stepped plate 165 for ten inch records, which have a slightly lesser thickness than the twelve inch records.

The stepped plate 165 is adapted to be brought in Figure 3r By proper-b adjusting the position of the wedge plate 84, which engages the beveled underside 88 of the plate 165, the latter can be elevated to operative position or permitted to lower to inoperative position, as clear 7 'gfrom the inspection of Figure 6. 28 is tilted, as hereinbefore described, it is GVl-"TJ dent that the outer projecting end 80 of After all of the records have been played as indicated at 90, to a bracket 91, secured to The inner end 92 of said lever engages under the shipper arm 63. as

best shown in Figure 4, and the outer end 93 of said lever, when the table is innormal horisontal position, is positioned directly beneath a plunger 94 vertically, reciprocably mounted in the cabinet wall 25, as shown in Figure 3. Said plunger 94 is normally held in upper- -most position by an expansion spring 95. By

manually depressing the plunger 94, the lever 69 is oscillated so as to lift up the inner end 92 thereof, which in turn lifts the shipper arm 63, thus permitting the stepped plate 65 to be drawn back to its initial position under the influence of the spring 69, whereupon, upon releasingthe lever 89 which is retracted by a suitable spring 96, the shipper arm 63 will rest upon the topmost step 66 of the stepped plate 65 and the parts resume the condition shown in Figure 3, and the phonograph is then ready for playing another series of records, as will be obvious.

To reset the reproducer so as to engage the cutermost groove of a record after one has been will be so set as to be inclined slightly downwardly toward the stop shoulder 101. The arm 98 will also be so set that, when the reproducer is at the inner end of the record groove, the reproducer arm 31-32 will be positioned above the lefthand end of the cam guide 100 so that, as the record table is tilted downwardly toward the right, as viewed in Figure 2, the reproducer arm will come to rest upon the cam guide 100 and, as the needle is finally fully disengaged from the record, the reproducer arm will automatically, under the influence of gravity, slide down the cam guide 100 until it engages the stop shoulder 101, which will be so positioned that, for a record of given diameter, the needle 34 of the reproducer will be in position to engage the outermost portion of the groove of the remaining top record on the table as'the latter approaches its horizontal normal position. As the final movement of the record table continues until fully horizontal position is attained, the reproducer arm will be lifted entirely clear of the cam guide 100 and the record may be played in the usual manner. To adapt the cam guide 100 to records of different diameters, as for instance, ten inch and twelve inch, the rod 97 is made rotatable and carries a pin 102 adapted to be seated in either of two notches 103, 104, in a fixed plate carried by the cabinet wall 25. Preferably the rod 97 is normally spring influenced downwardlyby a coil spring 105 on the bottom end thereof, as viewed in Figure 3. The notches 103 and 104 are so located that, by setting the pin 102 in the notch 103, the camguide 100 will be properly set for ten inch records and when the pin 102 is in the notch 104, will be properly set for twelve inch records.

The main circuit for the motor 17 is adapted to be closed by a manually operable switch 106. Upon the playing of the last record of a stack, it is obviously desirable to shut off the motor 17 to prevent further rotation of the record table 28 or tilting thereof. To automatically alccomplish this result, the following arrangement is employed. Mounted on the platform 15 is a plate 107 having a contact point 108. Also mounted on the plate 107 but insulated with respect thereto is a contact lever 109 which, when in the position shown in Figure 4, is adapted to complete the circuit for the motor 17, as will be evident from Figure 10. The free end of the switch lever 109 is entered within aslot 110 of an extended arm 111, carried by the rack 71. As the latter is shifted step by step during successive tiltings of the table, the inner shoulder 112 of the slot 110 will ultimately engage the free end of the switch lever 109 and move the latter in a contra-clockwise direction so as to break contact with the contact point 108. The parts will be so adjusted that this breaking of the circuit at 108 will occur during the final shift of the rack 71 while the table is being tilted after the playing of the bottom most record 35, so that there will be no break of the main motor circuit until after the playing of the last record of the series or stack. In order, however, that the tilting of the table, after the playing of the last record, may be completed so as to restore the parts to their normal horizontal position without stopping the motor until this condition has been attained, a parallel circuit around the switch 108109 is provided as follows, attention being directed to Figures 3, 4 and 10. Secured to the platform 15 and extended laterally therefrom is an insulated contact plate 113 which, when the record table is in horizontal position, will just clear an insulated edge contact element 114 carried by the bracket 11. As the table starts lowering, the two. contact elements 113 and 114 will come into engagement with each other and complete a parallel or supplementary circuit around the switch 108-109, which parallel or supplementary circuit will be maintained during all tilted conditions of the table, but which will be broken just as the table reaches its horizontal normal position. When, therefore, the switch 108109 is finally opened after the initiation of the tilting of the table upon completion of the playing of the last record, the circuit for the motor 17 will be maintained during this tilting operation by the sliding contact switch 113-114 and will only become broken .or opened when the table has returned to its normal horizontal position, whereupon the motor 17 will be thrown out of operation, as will be apparent. When the stepped plate 65 is reset for the playing of another stack of records, as hereinbefore described, the extension plate 111 of the rack '71 will be retracted, so that the shoulder 115 at the opposite end of the slot 110 will engage the contact lever 109 and restore it to contact engagement with the contact point 108 and, if the manual switch 106 is closed, the mechanism is in condition to play the records and go through its cycle of operations in the manner hereinbefore described.

From the preceding description, it will be seen that I have provided a very simple and relatively inexpensive arrangement for automatic playing of a series of records and successive discharge thereof from the table as played, which arrangement may be readily incorporated either in new equipment or easily adapted for use with present equipment without any substantial modification of the latter. Furthermore, the construction is such as to be readily adapted for all the variable conditions occurring from the use of different types of commercial records, such as variations in diameter, thicknesses and terminal grooves.

Although I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention with reference to a specific type of phonograph, the same is merely illustrative and all changes are contemplated that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a phonograph, the combination with a tiltable record rotating table; of a record centering pin axially adjustable with respect to the table; and means solely mechanically actuated by the tilting of the table, for progressively lowering said pin relative to the table, an amount corresponding substantially to the thickness of a record upon successive tiltings of the table.

2. In a phonograph, the combination with a tiltable record rotating table; of a record centering pin adjustable with respect to the table;

mechanism actuated upon tilting of the table,

for progressively lowering said pin relatively to the table, amounts corresponding substantially to the thickness of the record; and means for varying the amounts of step by step lowering of said pin accordance with yarying thicknesses of different records.

3. In a phonograph, the combination with a tiltable rotating table for carrying a record havingfa terminal closed wavy groove; of a reproducer arm pivoted to swing over the table; a record centering pin axially movable relative to the tablei'm'echanism for periodically tilting the table; and means, including an element movable with the reproducer arm and vibrated toward and from the center of the record, governing the operation of said mechanism, said element being so vibrated when the needle of the reproducer arm enters said closed wavy groove of the record.

4. In a phonograph, the combination with a tiltable record rotating table; of a reproducer arm movable over the table; a record centering pin axially movable relative to the table; electrically controlled mechanism, for tilting the table, including two switches each included in a different circuit; means, dependent upon the position ofsaid reproducer arm, for closing one of said-switches; and means, dependent upon vibration of said reproducer arm for closing the other of said switches.

5. In a phonograph, the combination with a record rotatable table; of a reproducer arm movable over the table; a reproducer including a needle, carried by said arm; a record on said table having a closed terminal wavy groove cooperable with said needle and adapted to impart vibration toward and from the center of the record to the reproducer arm; mechanism, including a motor and a controlling electric circuit therefor having a switch therein, for effecting a change of records relative to said table; and means, governed by said vibration of said reproducer arm when induced by the needle run ning in said wavy groove, for changing the normal condition of said switch.

6. In a phonograph, the combination with a tiltable record rotating table adapted to hold a stack of superimposed record thereon; of mechanism, successively operable pon completion of the playing of each of the records, .for tilting the table from and back to normal position; means, operative during tilting of the table, for releasing each of the cords successively except the bottom record from the table when inclined; mechanism for continuously rotating the table; and means, automatically operative upon completion of playing the bottom record and tilting of the table, for rendering said rotating mechanism thereof inoperative.

7. In a phonograph, the combination with a tiltable record rotating table adapted to hold a stack of superimposed records thereon; of a record centering pin axially adjustable relative to the table; mechanism for tilting the table upon completion of the playing of each record; means, solely mechanically actuated by the tilting of the table for axially and progressively lowering the pin step by step upon successive tiltings of the table to thereby permit successively dis charging the records as played; and means for resetting the pin after it has been axially lowered.

8. In a phonograph, the combination with a tiltable record rotating table; of a record centering pin axially adjustable relative to the table; mechanism for tilting the table; and means for progressively axially lowering the pin relative to the table, said means including selectively adjustable members corresponding to records of different thicknesses. V

9. In a phonograph, the combination with a tiltable record rotatable table; of a record canoperated by the arm in accordance with varyingcharacteristicsof the records; and means for axially lowering the pin to'permitdischarge of a record when the table is tilted.

10. In a phonograph, the combination with a tiltable record rotatable table adapted to hold a stack of superimposed records thereon; a record centering pin axially adjustable relative to the table; a reproducer arm movable over the table; mechanism, controlled by the reproducer arm, for tilting the table upon completion of the playing of each record, said mechanism including automatically selective devices operated by the arm, in accordance with varying characteristics of the record; and means for progressively axially lowering the pin relative to the table step by step, said means including selectively adjustable members corresponding to records of different thicknesses.

11. In a phonograph, the combination with a record-rotating table adapted to hold records having terminal grooves of different characteristics; of a pivotally mounted reproducer arm carrying a reproducer having a needle and movelectric motor for continuously rotating said table during the successive playing of said records, said motor being included in an electric circuit having a manually operable switch and a switch adapted to be automatically opened during tilting of the table after the playing of the lowermost record of the stack; mechanism for successively tilting the table from normal position to abnormal position and back again upon the completion of playing of each record, said mechanism being driven from said motor and including a tripping device operable to efiect a complete cycle of movements of the tilting of the table; and an auxiliary circuit bridging said automatically operated switch, the auxiliary circuit including a fixed contact and a movable.;,,

contact carried by the tilting table, said contacts being out of engagement when the table is in normal position but arranged to be brought in contact immediately upon the table being moved from normal position, whereby the motor cir-i cuit remains unopened until the return of the tilting table to its normal position after the playing of the last of the stack of records.

13. In a phonograph, the combination with a tiltable record-rotating table; of a record cen-.

tering pin axially adjustable with respect to the table; and means for progressively lowering said pin relative to the table an amount corresponding substantially to the thickness of a record during successive tiltings of the table, said means having included therein a vibratory switch, said switch including a contact element bodily movable in unison with said reproducer arm and another movable contact arm, said contacts being normally separated during the movement of the needle from the outer end of the record groove toward said closed wavy groove, said contacts being vibrated into engagement to complete the circuit when said needle is tracking in said wavy groove.

JAMES A. CAMERON. 

